Speed reducer and the like



. July 9, 1929.

- w. G. JONES ET AL SPEED REDUCER AND THE LIKE Filed'Aug 16, 1924 3Sheets-Sheet 1 I fizz/ 72f0719," Warren Gkfowes y 9, 9 w. a. JONES ETAL1,719,935

I SPEED REDUCER AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 16, 1924' S Sheets-Sheet 2 y 9?w. G. JONES ET AL. .719.935

SPEED REDUCER AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 16, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 PatentedJuly 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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SPEED REDUGER AND THE LIKE.

Application filed August 16, 1924. Serial No. 732,524.

This invention has to do with innntovements in speed reducers and thelike. More particularly it has to do with in'iprovements in gear speedreducers in which the gearing is so arranged that the power delivered bythe driving shaft at one speed. is transferred to the driven shaft anddelivered thereby at a reduced speed.

More particularly the present invention relates to an improvedconnection for de livering power from the driven shaft to the externalmechanism. In many cases the power delivered by the driven shaft to betake off therefrom by a train of gearing. In G. such case the gearingelement on the driven shaft located outside of the speed reducer itselfcauses side thrusts to be exerted on the bearing of the driven shaft.

The main object of the present invention is to provide an outboardbearing construction for giving additional support to the driven shaftand so as to better carry the aforesaid side thrusts and give the drivenshaft the needed additional support. In this connection the aforesaidoutboard bearing also serves to support the driven shaft at a positionbeyond the gear elementthereon, so that it is supported at both sides ofsaid gear element.

A further object of the invention is to providc a unit bearing elementwhich can be readily attached to or removed from the end. portion of thecasing itself. This outboard. bearing element is also so constructedthat it can be readily applied to gear speed reducers of standardconstrue/tiens which are well known in the art and in very eziztendcduse at this time.

In connection with the above, a further ohject is to provide an outboardbearing unit of such construction that it can be turnedintodifferentpositions with respect to the axis of the casing; of the gearspeed reducer itself. This will. make it possible to cause the openingof the (ultbmlrd hearingunit to face in any desired direction around acircle, so that the connectitm to the train of gears can be establishedfrom the speed reducer in any desired direction.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detaileddescription of the same, which consists in the features of I to theoutboard bearing unit;

Fig. 41: shows a view at right an glee to that i of: Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 shows a fragmentary view of the end of a gear speed reducerhaving one of the outboard bearing units applied thereto,

but rotated at 180 with respect to the position indicated in Figs. 1 and3.

For nirposes of convenience, the features of the present invention areherein shown as applied to a gear speed reducer of a specificconstruction. This is done by way of illustration and not as a matter oflimitation, on cept as we may limit ourselves in the claim.

Bearing the above inmind, the particular speed reducer unit indicatedincludes a cylindrical barrelshaped casing 6 having; its ends recessed,as shown at 7 and 8, to accommodate the end heads 9 and 10 respectively.The high. speed shaft .11, usually the ('lri'ving shaft is journaled inthe end head 9 at the point 12 and carries the pinion 1?) at its innerend. The low speed shaft 14; is journaled in the other end head 10 bythe hear-- ing 15 and arries at its inner end a gear 16. One or moreback driving shafts 17 are journalcd in the end heads 9 and 10 by thebearii' 18 and 19 respectively. Each of these back shafts 17 carries agear 20 1ncching with the pinion 18 and a pinion 21 meshing with thegear 16. As a consequence, the speed is reducedv between the shafts 11and 14k. At the same time by plac-i inn" a nmuber of the baclcshafts 17around the device, each. one being n'operly geared to the pinion 13 andgear 16, the side thrusts due to the speed reducer gears are eliminatedand the driven shaft is driven without side thrusts.

At the low speed end of the device is supported at both sides of saidgear.

alaced the outboard bearing unit'22. The fame preferably includes acircular end flange 23 of proper size to seat around the flat peripheralportion 24 of the low speed end head 10, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1.The. same tap screws 25 which are used for holding the end head 10 inplace may also advantageously be used for securing the outboard bearingunit 22 in place, though this is optional.

The outer portion of the unit 22 carries a bearing 26 which receives theend of the low speed shaft 14 and supports the same in a very firmmanner. Preferably the outboard bearing unit is of generally cup shape,as

- shown in several of the figures, so that when turned into positionwhere. its open side faces upwardly it may be either wholly or partiallyfilled with oil. It may also be reinforced with a number of radial ribs27, if

desired.

The gear 28 is mounted on the low speed shaft 14 intermediate betweenthe bearings 15 and 26, so that the driven shaft is firmly Preferablythe outboard bearing unit is open along one side, as indicated in Fig. 4in particular, so as to expose the relatively large opening 29.Ordinarily, this opening will be sufficiently deep and so shaped as toallow a portion of the gear 28 to project beyond the outboard bearingunit, as clearly indicated in Fig. 3. This will facilitate theapplication of the train of gears thereto.

'In some cases it may be desired to allow for a free circulation of airthrough the out board-bearing unit. When this is the case an opening3Q'may be formed in its lower portion, as shown in Fig. 1, but in manycases it will be found desirable to provide for the retention ofoilwithin the lower portion ofthe device, in which case the presence of theopening 30 should be dispensed w th or said opening sealed.

Manifestly, the outboard bearing unit can be turned into any desireddirection when applied to the end of the speed reducer. For example, itsopen side may be made to face downwardly, as indicated in Fig. 5, or inany other direction.

lVhile we have herein shown and described only a single embodiment ofthe features of our present invention, still we do not intend to limitourselves to the same, except as we may do so in the claim.

e claim:

The combination with a circular end head of the casing of a gear speedreducer intended for permanent location and attachment to a structure,said casing having a series of equally spaced securing bolts holdingsaid end head in place, and the driven shaft projecting from said endhead, of a segmental outboard bearing element in conjunction with saidend head and intended for attachment thereto at different positions ofangular adjustment thereon, with the outboard bearing in line with thedriven shaft aforesaid, said outboard bearing element having a circularoutwardly projecting flange at its attaching end adapted to seat againstthe peripheral portion at the end head of the casing aforesaid, saidflange being perforated at equally spaced positions corresponding to thespacing of the securing bolts aforesaid, said bearing of the outboardbearing element being adapted to receive the end portion of the drivenshaft, and a. gear element on the driven shaft intermediate between theend head and outboard bearing substantially as described.

VARREN G. JONES. FREDERICK H. HOGE.

